


The Sand Pit

by thisnewjoe



Series: Title TBA [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Children, Community: fullmoon_ficlet, Eventual Stiles Stilinski/Jackson Whittemore, Gen, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-11 10:34:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10462920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisnewjoe/pseuds/thisnewjoe
Summary: The Stilinski and Whittemore boys are playing in the sandbox when one of them asks a simple question, and finds the other boy can't answer it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first of a collection of ficlet and stories that I'll be writing in the Teen Wolf universe.

Jackson just carved a long and bendy river from his corner of the sandbox to the corner farthest away. Stiles kneels nearby, grabbing fistfuls of sand for his newest hill centered in the bend of Jackson's river. As Stiles puts the final touches on the hill, Jackson reaches for their little pile of sticks and starts laying a road through the landscape.

Stiles hears the laugh of their mothers from across the playground. Jackson's mom and his mom are talking about something, but he doesn't hear them very well. He listens for a moment, and then remembers a conversation he heard his parents having last night.

"Hey, Jackson?"

"Yeah?" 

"What's it like having new parents?"

Jackson knows that Stiles sometimes asks weird questions. "How would I know? Who's got new parents?"

"You have new parents."

"I don't have new parents, Stiles."

"Yeah, you do, Jax. My dad said so."

"My mom's right there," he points at her, "and my dad's at court. He'll be home after he talks with the judge tonight."

"That's your new mom, Jax. You had another mom, but she got hurt and she died." He points at Mrs. Whittemore, who was listening to something his mother was saying. Jackson goes back to building his road when Stiles speaks again.

"Your dad died, too."

Jackson had been annoyed with Stiles, but now he's getting frustrated. His mom is right there, not dead. If his dad weren't fine then somebody would have called them. "Shut up, Stiles." Stiles mutters something he can't hear, and it makes Jackson angrier. "Shut up!" He stands, steps away from the road, and faces away from the sandbox. He looks over his shoulder to his mother. She looks alright. His dad is at work, not far from here. Maybe they can go see him before they go home.

"My dad is a police officer and he has to tell the truth, Jax. He's not a liar." Stiles' father never lies to either of them. Jackson knows Officer Stilinski well, and likes him a lot. When he's home, he takes Stiles and Jackson outside and teaches them how to play baseball, or helps them climb trees. Mr. Stilinski doesn't lie to anyone. Stiles can't be right, though, and Jackson feels confused as he tries to figure this out.

Jackson feels hurt climbing up his chest, making him feel like he's being squeezed, and he's finding it harder to talk. He forces his eyes to shut against the stinging he feels there.

He takes a deep breath. Stiles isn't saying anything. Jackson looks at his mom again, and feels a little better. He's worried about his dad, though. Stiles is wrong. He has to be wrong. Jackson wipes a sleeve across his eyes, rubs his face with his hands, and faces Stiles.

"You can't say things like that," Jackson hisses at him, quietly. "It's bad."

"What's bad?"

Jackson presses his fists tight against his sides. "My dad is a lawyer and he says that when people lie, they can go to jail." He looks at Stiles sitting in the landscape they're building together. He stomps in the sand. "You promised you would never lie to me!" he says loudly.

"But it is true! My dad has pictures! They were in a car crash, and the doctors saved you at the hospital!" Stiles stands up, and feels his face tingle. When he puts his hands to his cheeks, they are wet with tears. When did he start crying? His dad is a good man, and he doesn't lie, and Jackson knows it. "They died, Jax." He stared at Jackson. "The Whittemores took you home from the hospital."

Their increasing volume caught the attentions of their mothers, and the boys were being noticed by others in the park. The women stand, talking softly to each other as they walk together toward the sandbox.

Jackson wants this conversation to end. "My dad's at work, Stiles. He was home last night. There was no car accident, Stiles." By the end of it, Jackson was yelling as loud as he could, "I don't understand you! My dad's not dead!"

Their mothers freeze.

Jackson sees surprise on their faces. He feels afraid for a moment, for the yelling, for being angry, and for his father who should be okay, but now he doesn't know. He twists around and walks away from Stiles when he hears the other boy following. "Go away!", he cries, his arms and legs vibrating and making him feel unsteady as he walks away. It feels like the ground was moving, and he can't be sure how far he'll walk without falling down.

Stiles knows something is wrong, and calls to him, anxious for his friend. He doesn't know what is wrong, and when Jackson doesn't respond he runs forward to help him.

Jackson spins, overflowing with hatred he doesn't understand. He whispers, "Don't talk to me" to a Stiles who is still coming at him.

Stiles tries to catch his friend before Jackson runs away again. He doesn't know what to do, feels desperate, and puts his arms around Jackson. "Jack--" was what he got out before the fist to his face smashes him to the ground.

"Jackson!" was shouted by both mothers. Claudia rushes to where Stiles lays unmoving on the ground. Jackson's mother is chasing him across the park. "I have to see dad!" he yells, looking for the street that goes downtown.

Stiles lay still and quiet. His heart and mind and body all hurting in different ways. He holds his breath tight against the pain.

When he can't hold it anymore, he gasps for fresh air and he feels the pain slash across his face, just like if Jackson hit him again. He curls-up and cries hard, hiding his face in his arms while his mother rubs his back and tells him it will all be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Though I've delighted in reading and commenting on fanfiction for years, this is my first contribution as a writer to the fanfiction community. Please share your thoughts about what works and what doesn't work for you in this story.


End file.
